tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66771553567334038232015-03-01T15:15:44.711-07:00Colorado Wine PressA website devoted to Colorado Wine and beyond.Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.comBlogger307125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-39176462456712654472015-02-27T02:30:00.000-07:002015-02-27T02:30:00.936-07:00Gary Vaynerchuk gets back into the wine game...The 2015 edition of <a href="http://www.premierenapawines.com/">Premiere Napa Valley</a> saw a fundraising record for the Napa Valley Vintners. PNV15 also saw the return of Gary Vaynerchuk to Napa on the ninth anniversary of the first episode of <a href="http://tv.winelibrary.com/">WineLibraryTV</a>. Gary helped his father successfully bid on 11 lots (840 bottles) to a tune of $377,000 ($449 per bottle). Gary energetically tasted with vintners during the barrel tasting prior to the auction and frequently posted selfies to Twitter (without the aid of a selfie-stick). I caught up with Gary briefly after the auction to discuss WineLibary&#39;s purchases and the possible return of WineLibraryTV.<br><div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nqBp5frInU/VO1KI4Ji6yI/AAAAAAAADTc/aaGhFbPxTfg/s1600/IMG_3560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nqBp5frInU/VO1KI4Ji6yI/AAAAAAAADTc/aaGhFbPxTfg/s1600/IMG_3560.JPG" height="240" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine Library&#39;s Gary and Sasha Vaynerchuk at Premiere Napa Valley 2015</td></tr></tbody></table><br></div><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2015/02/gary-vaynerchuk-gets-back-into-wine-game.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-64335462660036030332015-02-26T10:47:00.000-07:002015-02-26T10:48:02.619-07:00Initial thoughts on Premiere Napa Valley 2015<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--M2zPyCFhg8/VO9areICByI/AAAAAAAADUI/8QOIdvpl3sw/s1600/IMG_3534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--M2zPyCFhg8/VO9areICByI/AAAAAAAADUI/8QOIdvpl3sw/s1600/IMG_3534.JPG" height="161" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Premiere Napa Valley 2015</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week&#39;s <a href="http://www.premierenapawines.com/">Premiere Napa Valley</a> (PNV), the fundraising auction for the <a href="http://www.napavintners.com/">Napa Valley Vintners</a> (NVV), brought in a record $6.05 million, just surpassing last year&#39;s previous record of $5.9 million. Napa Valley wineries donated five-, 10-, or 20-case lots that were then exclusively auctioned off to the trade. The barrel tasting and auction at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in St. Helena capped off a bacchanalian week in the Napa Valley just as the vines were beginning to spring back to life for the 2015 vintage. The average wholesale price per bottle sold was an astounding $286. The top bidder was <a href="http://www.totalwine.com/">Total Wine &amp; More</a>, who purchased 25 lots of the futures for a total of $836,000.</span><br><br><span style="font-family: inherit;">The most expensive lot, which also happened to be one of my favorites, was the 2013 <a href="http://www.brandnapavalley.com/">BRAND Napa Valley</a> &quot;Double Barrel Elevation 1588&quot; Cabernet Sauvignon. Sixty bottles of this cabernet sauvignon from Pritchard Hill sold for $115,000 to a corporate finance firm based in Zurich, Switzerland. The frenzied bidding brought BRAND proprietor Ed Fitts to tears when it was all said and done. Two other lots earned $100,000 for a mere 5 cases of wine. Only six lots failed to sell for more than $100 per bottle, three of which were white wines, including a very interesting sweet Scuppernong from <a href="https://www.spiriterravineyards.com/">Spiriterra Vineyards</a>. Even though I enjoyed it, the unusual wine made from <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i> grapes was a peculiar addition to the cabernet sauvignon-dominated field.</span><br><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br>Thursday and Friday were filled with various preview parties around the valley. After missing it last year, I was able to make it to <span style="background-color: white; color: #260202; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Vintage Perspective Tasting of 2010, 2011, and 2012 cabernets as well as the 2003-2009 library tasting. I also went to preview receptions for </span><a href="http://www.chateauboswell.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #e06666; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;">Chateau Boswell</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #260202; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> (a random group of &quot;most celebrated winemakers&quot;), <a href="http://www.coombsvillenapa.org/">Coombsville Vintners &amp; Growers</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #260202; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Pritchard Hill Wineries, Women Winemakers</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #260202; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">, </span><a href="http://www.oakvillewinegrowers.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #e06666; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;">Oakville Winegrowers Association</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #260202; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">, <a href="http://fly-wine.com/">FlyWine</a> (bottles premium wine in 100 mL TSA-friendly bottles), and Winemakers of Brokenrock Vineyard. I had planned on attending a few other receptions, but time and wine just got in the way.</span></span><br><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br>The barrel tasting portion of the auction on Saturday morning showcased wines mostly from the 2013 vintage and the attendance was quite a big smaller than last year. Cate Conniff, the communications manager for <a href="http://www.napavintners.com/">NVV</a>, told me that invitations to media, trade, and wineries were cut across the board because too many people were packed into the venue last year. It was refreshing not feeling like a canned sardine this year. Compared to the similar 2012 vintage offered at the previous auction, the 2013s were successful across the board. Ripeness and concentration were not a problem for Napa producers in 2013. To my palate, the wines were marked by good fruit flavors and strong tannins. The 2013 wines tended to be less opulent than those from 2012 and more restrained. As goes with saying for any barrel tasting, the wines were not finished products, so no final assessment can be made. That being said, the wines that really impressed me did so with their aromas, balance, and refinement as opposed to power and density.</span><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2015/02/initial-thoughts-on-premiere-napa.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-83339889629927381732015-02-20T10:12:00.001-07:002015-02-21T08:16:44.461-07:00Ben's Blush: Matthiasson<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sCEgLj4XxTM/VONnyo6p7BI/AAAAAAAADTA/oimlBsS7d5c/s1600/IMG_3475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sCEgLj4XxTM/VONnyo6p7BI/AAAAAAAADTA/oimlBsS7d5c/s1600/IMG_3475.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013 Matthiasson Rosé</td></tr></tbody></table>The weather in Colorado this winter has been beautiful. 60° and sunny has happened more often than not. Finally, Last week we got our first good snow in about two months. We got almost a foot in Littleton where we live. My wife and Ben had a four-day weekend, so we were able to enjoy the snow at home. The hens have not been pleased eithr return to arctic conditions. It took some convincing to get Ben to go outside to play, but when he finally decided to enjoy the snow it was hard to get him to back inside. I built an igloo- well, a wall of snow with a cardboard box on top of it - for him to play in. He really liked it, but was the only person able to fit inside of it. I'm in California this weekend for premiere Napa Valley. I might be staying a bit longer than intended because the forecast for Sunday when I'm supposed to go home is for another 12 to 18 inches of snow to blanket the Denver area. I'm hoping my flight will be able to sneak in through that weather. I'll report back about the PNV tastings next week, but I'm looking forward to picking up a few bottles of the new release of this week's Ben's blush to replenish the rosé stock.<br /><br /><b>2013 Matthiasson Rosé, California</b><br /><br />Steve Matthiasson has been nominated yet again for the James Beard award for his throwback wines he produces from Napa and elsewhere in Northern California. This blend of Rhône cultivars clocks in at eight paltry 11% alcohol. In fact, after we finish the bottle we were able to open a second bottle and drink some of that as well. I felt better after those two bottles of the many full throttle California wines. This is not a rosé to knock your socks off, but it is a lovely, delicate wine. What it lacks in depth, it makes up with zip and brightness. The underripe white peach, pomegranate, sea salt, chalk, and lime rind flavors make it go down way too quickly... 11.2% abv. Purchased $23. <b>Good/Very Good</b>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-80039463351977798982015-02-17T09:04:00.000-07:002015-02-17T09:04:11.216-07:00Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2012 tasting and what will Premiere Napa Valley bring this weekend?As I noted a few weeks ago, The <a href="http://www.ugcb.net/">Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux</a> (UGCB) was in Denver showing off the 2012 vintage. Though the organization represents 133 wineries, both classified and non-classified producers, only about 60 producers were in Denver at the fundraising event for the <a href="http://www.dpsfoundation.org/">Denver Public Schools Foundation</a>, with the rest of the group splitting off to Las Vegas. Just tasting the wine from these 60 was more than enough to gain some perspective on the 2012 vintage.<br><br>As you probably have read, Bordeaux had three less-than-stellar vintages in a row. 2011, 2012 and 2013 have been met with critical disdain and falling prices, especially since the esteemed 2009 and 2010 vintages caused prices to skyrocket. Of the producers I spoke with, they claimed that 2012 was the best of these three off years and certainly meant for early consumption while the venerated vintages rest in the cellar. 2014 was discussed as a favorable vintage and a welcome reprieve from the trio of disappointments, but still not up to the standard set by 2010 - the greatest ever vintage in Bordeaux, as claimed by one producer.<br><br>I left the tasting with three conclusions about the wines.<br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2015/02/union-des-grands-crus-de-bordeaux-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-4506993481081447852015-02-06T08:20:00.001-07:002015-02-06T08:20:56.315-07:00Ben's Blush: 2012 Arnot-Roberts RoséHaving a young child can make dining out an infrequent occurrence. Just getting out the door can be a battle in its own right. Though Ben is usually well behaved and a great eater at restaurants, there is always a chance of a tantrum and we have to bring something to keep him occupied while we wait for the food to arrive. A few days ago, we decided to go to <a href="http://thewoodentablerestaurant.com/">The Wooden Table</a> on the spur of the moment. We asked Ben if he wanted to put some &quot;fancy&quot; clothes on to go out. He eagerly replied that he wanted to wear his dress. Well, his dress is just a tie-died adult t-shirt that my wife made for him, but still probably not the most appropriate attire for fine dining. We gently redirected his fashion instincts towards wearing his Bruce Wayne bow tie. After the brief battle, we set out for a very nice evening at the restaurant with out dapper little gentleman.<br><br>However, we felt a little bad that he really wanted to wear his dress at a fancy dinner. So, the next night we brought the restaurant experience home. I printed up a menu with a variety of choices for Ben to choose. I acted as the waiter and took his order (I was also the chef and made a pretty tasty butternut squash and pumpkin sausage risotto). Dinner was served over three separate courses. And, best of all, Ben got to wear his fancy dress (and some impressive <i>Frozen</i> slippers). Mom and Dad shared a bottle of Arnot-Roberts <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Rosé.</span><br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2015/02/bens-blush-2012-arnot-roberts-rose.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-86088179585057649592015-01-29T08:28:00.002-07:002015-01-30T10:39:25.069-07:00Ben's Blush: Kessler-Haak Three-year olds don&#39;t miss much. The other day someone asked Ben how old he was, and he told them he was three and a half. I quietly interjected that it is a good thing he doesn&#39;t know fractions because he is really three and three-quarters. Well, since that moment Ben&#39;s new answer to a question about his age is of course, &quot;I&#39;m three and three-quarters!&quot;<br><br>I guess the time when your child is right around his or her fourth birthday is when you start looking for pre-kindergarten. We were lucky to not have to think much about what Ben did for daycare, as my wife&#39;s school has excellent employee daycare on site. However, pre-k is a different story. The process for Ben to stay at this school is quite involved. We have to write a parent statement, get a teacher recommendation, have a parent interview, and Ben had to attend an assessed playdate. The school is great and the convenience of Ben going to school with his mom makes it that much more attractive of an option.<br><br>To do our due diligence, we also are looking at the neighbor elementary school just a few blocks from our home. Information about the program and registration process has been harder to come by. Last night, we attended the open house at the school. Rather than a structured program where administrators and teachers explain things, we just kind of walked around getting a feel for the school and the pre-k room. We did get a chance to speak with the lead pre-k teacher (but who will be retiring at year&#39;s end) about the program. It definitely is less structured and rigorous than the private school option, but both seemed relatively similar.<br><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We haven&#39;t decided where he is going to go next year. We will have to wait to hear if Ben even gets admitted to mom&#39;s school. Maybe the decision will be made for us! Either way, it will be fun to watch Ben continue growing up and expanding his world.</span><br><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2015/01/bens-blush-kessler-haak.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-61698983626347199422015-01-26T09:05:00.000-07:002015-01-26T09:09:29.843-07:00Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux is in Denver this weekThe <a href="http://ugcb.net/en/home">Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux</a>&nbsp;(UGCB) is an organization formed in 1973 by a group of Bordeaux wineries that is something of a marketing program that puts on tasting and educational events in France and abroad. The organization now represents 133 wineries, both classified and non-classified producers. Every year, winery representatives tour the U.S. with their wines, but usually only visit New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Last year was the first time the tour found its way to Colorado.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EO9Efe9SeJs/VMZmsUfJXpI/AAAAAAAADRo/j1RpJ1se8ZU/s1600/UGC-Small-Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EO9Efe9SeJs/VMZmsUfJXpI/AAAAAAAADRo/j1RpJ1se8ZU/s1600/UGC-Small-Logo.png" height="153" width="320" /></a></div><br />This year, half of the group will be in Denver on Thursday, January 29 (the the other half is in Las Vegas that night). The Châteaux owners and winemakers from over 60 of the most prestigious Bordeaux producers (sadly, no First Growths...) will pour and discuss their wines. I can't think of another opportunity in Colorado to taste such a collection of historic and respected wines. As an added benefit (and because of Colorado liquor law) the event is a fundraiser for the <a href="http://dpsfoundation.org/">Denver Public Schools Foundation</a>, but hosted by Applejack Wine &amp; Spirits. For a full list of the participating producers and to buy tickets, <a href="http://www.applejack.com/Events/union-grand-cru-bordeaux/">click here</a>.<br /><br />The 2012 vintage will be featured at the tasting, though I would hope some producers bring some examples properly aged Bordeaux wine. 2012 is the second in a trio of less-than-ideal vintages for Bordeaux. The vintage started cool and wet, and finished with heavy rains around harvest time. Though I haven't tasted much 2012 Bordeaux, I've read that merlot from the Right Bank produced more favorable wines when compared to the later-ripening cabernet sauvignon from the Left Bank. Many of the top sweet-wine producers even declared that they would not produce any wine in 2012, but instead sell-off their wine in bulk to less prominent producers.<br /><br />I don't drink much Bordeaux, frankly because the price of admission is so steep. Many of the wines that will be poured at the UGCB tasting cost between $50 and $300 per bottle. The First Growth producers, who will not be in attendance, sell their wines for around $1000 per bottle. Prices have come down some since consumer demand (especially in China) of the heralded 2009 and 2010 vintages caused prices to skyrocket. Still, with three lower-quality vintages currently languishing in the market since the critically acclaimed 2010, supply and demand are still out of sync when it comes to general pricing for the region. Nevertheless, I will be quite interested to see what is in the glass on Thursday night to see if there is some value to be had. I hope to see you there!Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-55785554956197513712015-01-22T07:25:00.001-07:002015-01-22T07:32:50.786-07:00Ben's Blush: Epoch Estate WinesAfter being gone for a whole week, it was nice to be home. Ben was very excited to see me, and his mom was very happy to not have 100% of his attention solely directed at her! It was a beautiful week in Colorado; we even had a happy hour/picnic in the park the other day. Ben spent most of the time chasing after the bigger kids that showed up. Unfortunately, they were not as interested in him, but he did expend a fair bit of energy constantly chasing them. Yesterday, we got about 6 inches of snow, but the forecast looks like we should be back in the 50s and 60s by the weekend!<br><br>This week was also a bit rough. As you might know, I grew up in Wisconsin and am thus a Green Bay Packers fan. Though I did not have high expectations for the outcome of the NFC Championship game, I was hopeful things would go their way. Ben and I watched the first half of the game, but the bored little guy abandoned me after halftime. I kept giving him updates and he high-fived me when with only a few minutes left in the game the Packers seemed to have an insurmountable lead. Yeah, well, we all know how that turned out. I guess that is kind of like wine in some ways; you get all excited about experiencing something great only to be let down.<br><br>At some point during the AFC Championship game (Cheaters vs. Colts), Ben shouted, &quot;Dad, the Packers are winning!&quot; I dejectedly responded to him, &quot;No, bud the Packers already lost.&quot; He then apologetically looked at me and said quiet empathetically, &quot;I know, but I was just trying to make you feel better.&quot; Things like that are why kids are so amazing. Notwithstanding my son&#39;s compassion, such an epic loss deserved an Epoch wine...<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2015/01/bens-blush-epoch-wine-estates.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-64060733861465908562015-01-21T15:06:00.001-07:002015-01-21T15:06:41.650-07:00Ben's Blush: Domaine de NizasWell, the weekly rosé review lasted all of one week. To be fair, we actually did drink a bottle of rosé two weeks ago, but I just was too <strike>lazy</strike>&nbsp;busy to write it up. Last week I was in Grand Junction, CO for the annual viticulture and enology conference: <a href="http://www.winecolorado.org/events/vinco/">VinCO</a>. It is great that the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology puts together a program that runs the gamut of marketing, winemaking, grape growing, and directed tasting seminars for the Colorado wine industry. I co-led a tasting of syrah from around the world that seemed to go over well. I also tasted some very nice wines from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, and of course Colorado.<br /><br />Traveling and being away from home has both its advantages and disadvantages. Sleeping in a King-size bed by yourself can be quite relaxing, but it is more fun to be woken up by a little boy who dressed himself and says, "Look at my awesome outfit!" I didn't have to go the whole week without seeing Ben; the iPhone is a modern miracle! I can't imagine traveling before the days of Skype and Facetime. It is such a luxury to be able to see and talk to you children from afar. I know that Ben enjoys being able to talk with his grandparents and great grandparents via Facetime. I guess it kind of is like being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km6bFBSVty4">Back to the Future</a> (without the firing). I don't travel too often, but when I do it is nice to be close digitally.<br /><br /><b>2013&nbsp;<a href="http://www.domaine-de-nizas.com/en/">Domaine de Nizas</a></b><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OM-ySJigVlk/VL6BboYG54I/AAAAAAAADRA/8N6-DbPjZFY/s1600/IMG_3316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OM-ySJigVlk/VL6BboYG54I/AAAAAAAADRA/8N6-DbPjZFY/s1600/IMG_3316.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Domaine de Nizas 2013 Rosé </td></tr></tbody></table><br />To catch up from the missing week, I will be posting two blush reviews this week (this week's tomorrow). The wine from the week before last hails from the Languedoc region of Southeast France. I don't know why, but for some reason every time I look at the label I think it is from Greece. Notwithstanding what my brain keeps insisting, this French wine is a blend of 40% syrah, 40% grenache noir, and 20% mourvèdre, which is quite typical for Languedoc&nbsp;rosés. It is a beautiful poppy pink color.&nbsp;Flowers and strawberries are the most noticeable aromas. It is a bit more structured than the delicate nose would suggest. Red fruit flavors are complemented by spicy hints of anise. Overall, the wine was pretty average and did nothing to excite me, but was still a nice wine. 14% abv. Sample $17. <b>Average</b>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-91904332061232296652015-01-09T06:37:00.000-07:002015-01-09T06:37:00.034-07:00Out of network writingYesterday I read an article in the <i>Denver Post </i>titled, "<a href="http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_27262713/cabernet-franc-goes-wide-range-foods">Cabernet franc goes with a wide range of foods</a>." I was pleasantly surprised that the newspaper would write an article about what might be &nbsp;Colorado's signature grape cultivar. I thought the story would at least include a passing mention of the local versions. It wasn't until I finished the article, and the usual recommendations, that I noticed it was written by Bill St. John all the way from Chicago.<br /><br />St. John used to be the food and wine editor for the <i>Denver Post</i>, but that was years ago. He since moved on to the <i>Chicago Tribune</i>. Occasionally St. John's writing is published in the <i>Post</i> as a special report (aka syndicated). Just as with broadcast syndication, newspaper syndication can provide market penetration and revenue for the author. Pretty good work if you can get it.<br /><br />But the problem with this type of publishing is that it can actually be a detriment to the reader. Publishing generic articles that don't have a pulse on the local conditions goes against the grain of what wine consumers want: authenticity. Local sections of local newspapers should be about local conditions. I'm not suggesting that the article should have been solely about local wines, but some awareness that cabernet franc is important to the local industry would be something a local writer would have.<br /><br />Now, syndicated wine columns are not all that bad. David White, of Terroirist.com, writes a&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.&nbsp;These columns are hosted over on&nbsp;<a href="https://grapecollective.com/">Grape Collective</a>. Generally syndicated columns are generic enough to be applicable anywhere. White usually does a good job with this. Most of the time articles about a specific grape variety are adequately universal, but yet the cab franc piece completely missed the mark when it could have been so much more salient.</span>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-74434543360163119692015-01-07T10:24:00.000-07:002015-01-07T10:24:43.395-07:00Ben's Blush: J Vineyards & Winery Brut RoséA little less than four years ago, I started a weekly review of a sparkling wine to celebrate the birth our son, Ben. I called the regular feature Ben&#39;s Bubbly. Both my wife and I enjoyed regularly drinking a bottle of bubbly; it is something that is too often restricted to only celebratory occasions a few times a year. Sparkling wine is something that should be enjoyed much more often. Plus, the weekly review provided easy material for this blog.<br><br>Well, it has been several years since I concluded the series (<a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2012/04/bens-bubbly-champagne-doyard-collection.html">a tasty <i>blanc de blancs</i> from Doyard</a>) and my wife and I miss the weekly exploration of a specific, and under-appreciated style of wine. So, today I announce Ben&#39;s Blush. Pink wine is the red-headed step child of the wine world. It is often dismissed as sweet and uninteresting, and relegated to being openly consumed for a only few short weeks in the spring and summer. Sadly, rosé is ignorantly considered by many to be an inferior wine compared to its red and wine siblings. Rosé can be so many things and pair so well with different foods. It more diverse than many people think. So, for the next 52 weeks, I will open a bottle of something blush and report on it (along with a little update on Ben, as was the custom in the first series).<br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2015/01/bens-blush-j-vineyards-winery-brut-rose.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-58324023400204068192014-12-16T12:29:00.002-07:002014-12-16T12:29:52.050-07:00It's on the Internet, so it must be true!One of the stories making the rounds in the digital winesphere is about a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/blog/2014/12/10/okanagan-wine-expert-and-niagara-vineyard-owner-get-into-a-fist-fight-on-cbc-radio/">recent segment</a> on the Canadian radio show <i><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/">This is That</a></i>. The segment featured two Canadian wine producers from the Okanagan Valley and the Niagara region. The host began by asking his guests what makes Canadian wine so good. From that point on, the two guests attacked and disparaged each other (and denounced innocent New Hampshire&#39;s wine industry in the process). The Sean Connery-esque Daniel Semple even quipped that the Okanagan pinot noir brought by the other guest &quot;may have just been some garbage.&quot; At that point, physical violence ensued.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/12/its-on-internet-so-it-must-be-true.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-74412888969244540512014-12-11T10:43:00.000-07:002014-12-11T10:43:12.771-07:00Crossing the Border GuardsWine appellations fascinate me because my of my interest and background in geography. I often feel like the father in <i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding </i>because I think almost everything has its roots in geography (I mean, describing the phenomena of the Earth is what geography is...). In particular, American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs for short, really intrigue me. Not because they are great in and of themselves, but that they reveal the cultural and political aspects of wine appellations more readily than those in Europe. And yes, culture and politics are just as geographical at heart as soil and climate.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/12/crossing-border-guards.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-40170656012960390452014-12-10T16:55:00.002-07:002014-12-10T16:55:15.837-07:00Taste of Vail preview...Wine festivals aren&#39;t my favorite events. They are usually crowded and impersonal. I have gone to a few Colorado specific festivals for pleasure and for work in the past. I have not had the pleasure of attending either of the two big ones in Colorado, Aspen Food &amp; Wine and Taste of Vail. Sadly, I usually think of them as they are happening, and in the case of Aspen cannot afford the high entry fee. I was invited as media to Taste of Vail last year, but was not able to attend. I will put it on my calendar because it seems to offer a variety of wine events that don&#39;t seem to encourage the drunk fest of just a big tasting.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/12/taste-of-vail-preview.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-82893927626117911632014-11-25T10:39:00.000-07:002014-11-26T14:19:13.538-07:00Colorado wineries earn two prestigious Jefferson Cup awards (yet again...)For the sixth year in a row, a Colorado wine earned a Jefferson Cup. The <a href="http://thejeffersoncup.com/">Jefferson Cup Invitational </a>competition honors the best of the best among wineries from all of America’s wine regions. Each year Doug Frost, one of only four people on the planet to hold both the Master Sommelier and Master of Wine credentials, invites wines from across America to enter, whereas most other wine competitions are dominated by entries from California. Jefferson Cups were awarded to wines made from both <i>Vitis vinifera</i> grapes (a European species responsible for most famous wines such as Chardonnay and Cabernet) and non-<i>vinifera </i>varieties, which flourish in the more extreme climates in the center portion of the U.S. I am hopeful that the frontenac and vignoles (non-<i>vinifera</i> hybrids) vines in my backyard survive the record cold temperatures we experienced, yet again, a few weeks ago along the Front Range of Colorado! I actually had a crop of frontenac this past fall, but waited one day too long to harvest because the birds got to them before I did.<br><br>This year, seven Colorado wineries earned a total of 28 medals from the fifteenth annual competition. Bookcliff Vineyards took home their fourth Jefferson Cup for their 2013 Malbec and repeated the honor they earned the previous two years! The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey&#39;s 2012 Merlot Reserve was also a Jefferson Cup Winner for the first time. Other Colorado wineries that were invited and garnered awards in 2014 were Anemoi Wines, Boulder Creek Winery, Canyon Wind Cellars, and Grande River Vineyards. Colorado&#39;s past Jefferson Cup winning wines include Boulder Creek Winery&#39;s VIP Reserve (2010), Bookcliff Vineyards&#39; 2009 Petite Sirah (<a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2010/12/another-jefferson-cup-win-for-colorado.html">2010</a>), Canyon Wind Cellars&#39; 2009 Petit Verdot (<a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2011/11/colorado-winery-wins-jefferson-cup-for.html">2011</a>), Bookcliff Vineyards&#39; 2010 Ensemble (2012), and Bookcliff Vineyards&#39; 2011 Cabernet Franc Reserve (2013).<br><br>In total, thirty-eight prestigious Jefferson Cups were awarded. The competition had representation of the best of what every quality wine producing region in the country is offering right now, including representation from California, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington. States that won Jefferson Cups included Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota (yes, North Dakota makes wine...), Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/11/colorado-wineries-earn-two-prestigious.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-89753406355941138862014-11-17T20:28:00.000-07:002014-11-17T20:28:19.294-07:00What you say in advertising is more important than how you say it, unless......you sell wine in California. A few weeks ago, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) cracked down on a few small wine and beer producers because they tweeted (well, actually retweeted) information about a retailer&#39;s (Save Mart) event that featured their products. What&#39;s wrong with that, you might ask? Don&#39;t most businesses want to inform their customers where their products can be purchased?<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/11/what-you-say-in-advertising-is-more.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-2814834976601251912014-10-09T14:03:00.000-06:002014-10-09T16:04:18.493-06:00Matt Kramer got it wrong about bullies who put down wine<i>Without wine lore, and wine tasting, and wine talk, and wine labels, and, yes, wine writing and rating—the whole elaborate idea of wine—we would still get drunk, but we would be merely drunk. The language of wine appreciation is there not because wine is such a special subtle challenge to our discernment but because without the elaborate language—without the idea of wine, held up and regularly polished—it would all be about the same, or taste that way. </i>—Adam Gopnik, <i>The New Yorker</i><br><br>Two days ago, in <i><a href="http://www.winespectator.com/">Wine Spectator</a></i>, Matt Kramer penned a <a href="http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/50654">polemic</a> against nameless skeptics of the sensory value of wine. In Kramer&#39;s defense, he attempted to use an article by Adam Gopnik (yes, I misspelled his name (twice) in a comment over on the Jackson Family Wines blog, and for that I apologize) in the <i><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/">The New Yorker</a></i> as evidence this anti-intellectualism bullying. The problems with him basing his condemnation on Gopnik&#39;s article are twofold. First, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/09/06/through-a-glass-darkly-4">the article is more than ten years old. If you haven&#39;t read it, I strongly suggest that you do so</a>. Yes, it reads as if it were written yesterday (or maybe tomorrow) and that is the sign of a good writer. But nevertheless it was written at a different point along the wine industry continuum and was actually an editorial on the 2004 state of wine prompted by William Echikson&#39;s book, <i>Noble Rot</i>. Second, and more important, Kramer completely missed the point of Gopnik&#39;s article. Kramer chose to quote Gopnik out of context. He should have started his article with the full quote that I&#39;ve provided above. Gopnik actually accomplished what Kramer was attempting to do by making the case that wine talk and wine description are an integral &quot;part of what lets the experience happen.&quot;<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/10/matt-kramer-got-it-wrong-about-bullies.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-38508446757182439982014-10-02T09:32:00.000-06:002014-10-02T09:32:30.653-06:00Great American Beer Fest Kicks off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://argylldenver.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/gabf-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://argylldenver.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/gabf-logo.jpg" height="108" width="320"></a></div>Tonight is a big night in the alcohol beverage world: The <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/">Great American Beer Festival</a> (GABF) kicks off this evening in Denver, CO. I don&#39;t limit my description to just the beer industry because the wine and spirits industries should be taking note of what the <a href="http://www.brewersassociation.org/">Brewers Association</a> accomplishes this week. GABF represents the largest public tasting of U.S. beer, and an actually meaningful competition.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/10/great-american-beer-fest-kicks-off.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-27395984366938831122014-09-16T08:52:00.001-06:002014-09-16T08:52:21.833-06:00What is a Farm Winery?A few weeks ago, the New York Department of Agriculture announced a decision aimed at helping farm wineries recover from the devastating Arctic Vortex event this past winter. This year, New York&#39;s farm wineries will be allowed to use out-of-state fruit to make their wines. Farm wineries in New York, by definition, must use 100% New York-grown fruit. Now, that may sound a bit draconian, but vintners have the choice of applying for a regular winery license or the more restrictive (and much cheaper) farm winery license. In addition to requiring 100% NY fruit, farm wineries are restricted to the amount of product they can sell. However, a farm winery may also &quot;manufacture, bottle and sell fruit juice, fruit jellies and fruit preserves, tonics, salad dressings and unpotable wine sauces.&quot; Farm wineries can also operate &quot;branch offices&quot; (aka, tasting rooms).<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/09/what-is-farm-winery.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-47969348045005737472014-08-11T14:43:00.000-06:002014-08-11T14:43:04.157-06:00Grape Collective's SpeakEasyI've been out of town and away from computers for the better part of two weeks. I returned to my ancestral lands (Wisconsin) for a week of sun and boating. And yes, I ate lots of cheese and drank lots of Wisconsin beer. I should also note that I stopped at <a href="http://www.upstreambrewing.com/">Upstream Brewing Company</a> in Omaha and <a href="http://www.empyreanbrewingco.com/">Empyrean Brewing Company</a> in Lincoln on the journey to and from Cheeseheadland for some tasty Nebraskan beer. Perhaps my favorite find of the trip was a fantastic dinner (with Colombian and Venezuelan beer) at <a href="http://www.lataguara-madison.com/">La Taguara</a> in Madison. The food was just delicious and authentic. If you find yourself in Madison, go and thank me later.<div><br /></div><div>Even though I had a beer bottle in my hand most of the time, wine was still on my mind. While away,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.grapecollective.com/">Grape Collective</a>&nbsp;published an interview with me for their get-to-know-a-wine-blogger series, SpeakEasy. Check out <a href="https://grapecollective.com/articles/speakeasy-kyle-schlachter-colorado-wine-press">the interview here</a>, and I should be able to update the blog here in the near future!&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers.</div>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-19193312830309017082014-07-24T15:23:00.000-06:002014-07-24T15:23:45.720-06:00Dr. Oldman won't shut up about the Wine Bloggers Conference<i>Forgive me. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was insistent on chiming in again on the Wine Bloggers Conference.</i><br><br>Oh boy did I miss out by not attending the Wine Bloggers Conference this year. I saw a few bloggers complain about one of the sessions that was dubbed the, &quot;grand-fatherly white male traditional print writer&quot; session. That sounds like the perfect seminar to me, so I investigated a little more. Turns out that there was a second session dedicated to other older white male experts! Hot diggity! I was totally off in <a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/07/dr-harry-oldman-on-wine-bloggers.html">my initial assessment</a>. Earlier this week, I watched a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xer1XiK5F8#t=700">Youtube</a> video of another seminar at the Wine Blogger&#39;s Conference titled, &quot;How the Pros Taste.&quot; Oh, this gem could have been simply titled, &quot;How to be Professional.&quot; I expect well-organized workshops at the <a href="http://www.frontiersincomputationalphysics.com/">Frontiers of Computational Physics Conference</a> (which by the way is in Zurich next June if you&#39;re interested), but not at a conference devoted to the lowly art of blogging.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/07/dr-oldman-wont-shut-up-about-wine.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-87740812426609506682014-07-14T16:09:00.000-06:002014-07-14T16:09:34.810-06:00Dr. Harry Oldman on the Wine Bloggers Conference<i>With the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference wrapping up over the weekend, I heard from Dr. Harry Oldman, my extern. I was actually looking forward to attending this year, but my wife was in Panama for a conference and I had to stay home with Ben. Having never attended a WBC, I don&#39;t have a whole lot to say about the event, but Dr. Oldman was insistent on chiming in. I know I shouldn&#39;t give the crotchety old guy the attention he wants, but I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinions.</i><br><br>So, apparently the <a href="http://winebloggersconference.org/">Wine Bloggers Conference</a> was held this past weekend in Santa Barbara County. I don&#39;t consider myself a blogger (more of a human chameleon that can become a master at whatever I choose), so the big event wasn&#39;t on my calendar. You know how I found out about the conference? I saw it all over the news. ABC, CNN, FOX and NBC all picked up on the story. It was all Bill O&#39;Reilly and Brian Williams were talking about over the weekend. Even Wine Spectator published a special issue on the conference that arrived this morning.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/07/dr-harry-oldman-on-wine-bloggers.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-41664887075750499342014-07-10T07:44:00.000-06:002014-07-10T07:44:12.081-06:00Listening and responding to customers...Yesterday saw the release of a new California sparkling wine called <a href="http://www.under-the-wire.com/">Under the Wire</a>. Haven&#39;t heard of it? That&#39;s not surprising considering that the release of its initial two wines totaled 120 cases. The new winery is brought to you by Morgan Twain-Peterson and Chris Cottrell, both of slightly more recognized <a href="http://www.bedrockwineco.com/">Bedrock Wine Co</a>. Bedrock is known for producing an array of syrahs, zinfandels, and red and white blends from heritage vineyards found in all corners of California. Twain-Peterson, along with a group of other like-mind producers (along with his <a href="http://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/">Ravenswood</a> co-founding father) actually established a non-profit organization, The <a href="http://www.historicvineyardsociety.org/">Historic Vineyard Society</a> (HVS), devoted to preserve California&#39;s precious old-vine vineyards.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/07/listening-and-responding-to-customers.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-68740729285054211922014-07-08T11:40:00.000-06:002014-07-08T11:40:06.905-06:00Capital Grille's Generous PourA few weeks ago, I attended a preview event for <a href="https://www.thecapitalgrille.com/pages/wine-tasting-event.aspx">Capital Grille&#39;s The Generous Pour</a> (TGP) event at the Denver location. The premise of the 7-week event (July 7 - August 31) is that the restaurant chain is offering guests unlimited pours of seven different wines or $25 per person. Sounds like a good deal. The restaurant&#39;s website states that the selection includes &quot;five highly acclaimed wines, two exclusive premieres, and all seven hand selected by our Master Sommelier.&quot; Diners can buy just one bottle or sample all seven through the course of a meal. The premise sounded interesting, so I made plans to attend to see what it was all about.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/07/capital-grilles-generous-pour.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677155356733403823.post-20637032525520696872014-07-03T15:54:00.000-06:002014-07-03T15:54:38.300-06:00The hail damage in Burgundy is sad, but...Earlier this week, a violent hailstorm destroyed vineyards in Burgundy. Most wine media outlets reported on the storm. Over on <a href="http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&amp;t=101727&amp;sid=3b1e6b53bb003ffa45ca89b05e4fd952">WineBerserkers.com</a>, terms like &quot;heartbreaking&quot; and &quot;gut wrenching&quot; were used in reaction to the news that 80-90% of the crop will be lost in certain vineyards. Yes, the crop destruction is sad when you think about the loss of income for hard-working farmers and their families, especially when hail destroyed a good chunk of the 2013 crop. Bottles of award-winning wine were aborted before anyone could even enjoy their existence. However, after reading the headlines and pondering for a second, the news made me smile.<br><br><a href="http://www.coloradowinepress.com/2014/07/the-hail-damage-in-burgundy-is-sad-but.html#more">Read more »</a>Kyle Schlachterhttps://plus.google.com/108719404067979532253noreply@blogger.com1